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The Putnam County Department of Health is made of several divisions all working towards improving and protecting the health of the community. Click on one of the options below to learn more about that division.
Food safety might not be something you think about every day, but for the public health sanitarians at the health department, it is front and center. Ensuring proper food handling and serving by local restaurants and other food service establishments is paramount to protecting the health of Putnam County residents from foodborne illness. Working with restaurants and teaching them the best ways of keeping food safe is just one of the many tasks of Public Health Sanitarian Lisa Seymour, who has over 37 years of experience in the health department. Lisa answered some questions about her work and what it means to her to serve the public working at the Putnam County Department of Health:
What is your favorite part of being a Public Health Sanitarian?
Knowing that I have made the community a safer place for residents and visitors in Putnam County.
What does your day-to-day work look like?
Each day is different. After I get necessary paperwork out of the way, I have a lot of flexibility. I may be inspecting delis, restaurants, a children’s camp, or a motel, carrying out a dye test for a potentially leaking septic system, or investigating a foodborne illness.
What do you wish the public knew about your job?
We are behind the scenes regularly checking certain facilities to make sure Putnam residents are safe when visiting. For example:
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
It is okay to say, “I don’t know.” Work, like life, is a learning experience, and it is fine to tell someone that you will look into it and get back to them.
We have an important job to do and need to do it well: to prevent injury and illness.
What have been some of the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?
Is there a particularly rewarding experience you’d like to share?
It is rewarding when a foodservice operator thanks me for performing an inspection at their facility. It shows they value our opinion and the inspection process. They want to make their facility a better and safer place for their patrons.
An experience involving air quality from nearly 32 years ago was particularly memorable and rewarding. The health department received an illness complaint regarding dry cleaning fumes in an apartment located above a dry cleaner. My investigations and air sampling in collaboration with the NYS Department of Health revealed elevated levels of tetrachloroethane present in the apartment air. Further air testing of other dry cleaners in the area, and throughout the state, revealed similar results. This led to new regulations requiring dry cleaners using outdated equipment to upgrade to new dry-cleaning machines that eliminated air emissions and protected the public’s health.
Ensuring food safety for restaurants and other food establishments can be a complicated task. Do you have any recommendations for residents who want to ensure their own home kitchens are as safe as possible?
Of course. One of the best resources online is from the Centers for Disease Control. They have easy to follow advice here in their Four Steps to Food Safety:
Additional information about food safety can be found at:
The mission of the Putnam County Department of Health is to improve and protect the health of our community.
We strive to prevent the spread of disease, protect against environmental hazards, promote healthy lifestyles, ensure access to quality health services, and respond to disasters.
We encourage you to explore our website and contact us if you have any questions.
In the event of an emergency, Health Department staff are available 24/7. Please call 845-808-1390 to report a public health emergency, rabies exposure, communicable disease, water outage or sewer overflow.
If you are a member of the media and would like to contact the health department, please email
Office | 845.808.1390
Fax | 845.278.7921
Fax (Nursing) | 845.279.4104
40 Gleneida Avenue
Carmel, New York 10512
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